Fracture of the lower and upper jaw: signs, symptoms, treatment, how long it takes to heal

Any injury to the bones of the skull is extremely dangerous. The jaw is most often affected; young men aged 18 to 40 are at risk. Fractures of the upper and lower jaw require serious and immediate treatment

, so it is very important to contact a specialist in time.

Main causes of jaw fracture

Such pathologies arise under the influence of mechanical stress on the bone, the force of which exceeds its strength. Most often, fractures of the maxillofacial region (MFA) occur in the following cases:

Road traffic accidents.
Extreme sports.
Pronounced physical impact.
Firearms.

Not everyone who finds themselves in such unpleasant situations suffers a broken jaw. The skull bones are very strong, so the incident must be really serious. True, there are people who are more susceptible to non-gunshot fractures of the lower and upper jaw than others.

If the following conditions are present, the bones of the skull break more often and more easily:

Oncological diseases.
Inflammatory processes in bone tissue.
Infectious diseases, especially tuberculosis.
Taking certain medications.
Impaired bone mineralization.
Metabolism problems.
Acute deficiency of vitamins and microelements.

Signs of pathologies of the alveolar ridge

Predominant swelling of the mucous membrane in the area of the alveolar ridge.
Pain when chewing food, swallowing saliva.
Damage to gum tissue, bleeding.
The appearance of multiple abrasions.
Sharp expansion of interdental areas due to loss of incisors.
Development of pathology of occlusion of elements of the dental system.
The appearance of various speech defects, which can be expressed in a “lisp.”

In addition, hypertrophy of the alveolar process may develop, which is expressed in an increase in the volume of bone tissue due to histological changes. An external examination and x-ray may reveal a crack in the ridge or a complete separation of bone tissue from the fundamental cranial bone.

Symptoms of a jaw fracture

A bone fracture is always painful, so it is impossible not to notice it. And yet, people sometimes confuse the signs of a jaw fracture and a dislocation and, not realizing the seriousness of the situation, try to solve the problem at home. To correctly identify an injury, you need to know its main symptoms:

Pain that intensifies when touching the chin and any movement of the jaw.
Unnatural bone mobility.
Malocclusion. In many cases, a person cannot close his jaw at all.
Photo: spaces between teeth due to a jaw fracture
Gaps almost always form in the dentition.
In most cases, teeth break or fall out.
Changes in the relief of bones, especially in the chin area. The injury noticeably displaces him.
Hematomas and bruises appear on the face and in the oral cavity.
Increased salivation.
Recession of the tongue.
In most cases, the patient is completely unable to speak, eat or move his jaw normally.
General malaise occurs. The patient suffers from headache and dizziness. Sometimes the temperature rises and drowsiness appears.

All these symptoms can be considered general. They are typical for any type of similar injury, but there are also narrower signs on which the classification of fractures of the lower and upper jaw depends.

Recommendations for rehabilitation

The rehabilitation period is aimed at restoring the functions of the affected area. After surgery it is recommended:

Follow all doctor's recommendations.
Avoid eating too cold or hot food.
Follow the rules of oral hygiene.
Avoid serious physical activity.
Follow the recommendations for a gentle diet.

Additionally, oral baths using antiseptic solutions and the use of soft toothbrushes may be recommended to eliminate the risk of damage to the operated area. If you follow the recommendations, there are no risks of possible complications. Successful recovery depends on the skill level of the surgeon. Our AlfaDent clinic employs exclusively professionals who take advanced training courses and regularly improve their skills.

Classification of jaw fractures

Experts distinguish more than a dozen different types of fractures, and the treatment of the patient depends entirely on whether the injury belongs to one type or another. First of all, fractures of the lower and upper jaw can be distinguished, but these groups are also divided into several smaller ones depending on a number of signs.

Types of jaw fractures by severity of injury

Closed fracture. It damages the bone, but the surrounding soft tissue remains intact. This type of pathology is less dangerous, since the treatment lasts relatively short. A non-gunshot closed fracture of the lower jaw heals without complications in 3–4 weeks.
Open fracture. Bone fragments can move to the side and damage soft tissues, blood vessels and joints. This pathology can be recognized by severe bleeding. Open fractures of the lower jaw are more common.

An open injury is doubly dangerous, since it carries a high risk of bacterial infection and severe blood loss. Medical assistance must be provided immediately.

Types of jaw fractures based on displacement of fragments

Fracture without displacement. With such an injury, the bone can even be divided into multiple fragments, but they are in a standard position and do not move relative to each other. The crack may be incomplete. Injury is easier to treat and carries with it minimal consequences.
Displaced fracture. In this case, the jaw fragments change their position, which causes additional pain and complicates treatment. With open injuries, the bone is always displaced.
A displaced fracture of the lower jaw is more common than the same injury to the upper part of the skull. Damage can be recognized by severe swelling and facial asymmetry.
Comminuted fracture. The bone splits into separate fragments of different sizes, which are arranged in a chaotic manner. In most cases, the pathology is accompanied by damage to soft tissues and requires immediate medical attention and long-term treatment. Often, after hospitalization, patients also have to see a plastic surgeon.

Types of jaw fractures by location of injury

The types of fractures of the lower and upper jaw are determined not only by symptoms, but also by location:

A midline fracture is located in the middle of the bone.
If the injury is located near the lateral incisors, it is defined as incisive.
A canine fracture is an injury to the third teeth of the upper or lower jaw.
A crack in the chin area is designated as mental. It is one of the most common jaw injuries due to the fact that a person's chin protrudes noticeably.
An angular fracture can only occur in the lower jaw. It is located in the corners of this bone, closer to the base of the skull.

Doctors may use a more extensive classification of such injuries. It’s even difficult to imagine exactly how many types of pathology there are - each case is individual in its own way.

Discrimination from other types of harm

Unintentional harm is considered under Article 118 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Sometimes the victim is recognized as the initiator of the fight who provoked the beating.

Such cases provide for criminal liability:

according to Art. 113 – actions in a state of passion;
under Article 114 – exceeding the necessary self-defense.

Simple injury leading to the indicated consequences is considered in the context of the resulting harm. If there is a crime under Articles 118, 113 and 114, the punishment allows you to avoid imprisonment, especially if the function of the jaw is fully restored.

In this case, the punishment may be limited to fines, arrest for up to six months, or correctional labor for 2 years. Its maximum amount is expressed in imprisonment for a term of up to three years.

In addition, if a fight occurs deliberately, minor health consequences may occur in accordance with the provisions of Article 115 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. This standard applies if the victim’s jaw has received a minor crack that does not require long-term recovery. The maximum penalty here is up to two years in prison. Mostly fines and administrative (mandatory) work are imposed.

If the victim was subjected to painful long-term torture, leading to similar consequences in the form of a jaw injury, punishment may follow in accordance with the provisions of Article 117 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

First aid for a broken jaw

The very first thing to do if a person breaks their jaw is to call an ambulance. After this, measures can be taken to alleviate the victim’s condition:

Since damage most often occurs in the event of an accident, fights, or falls, first of all you need to make sure that the person’s life is not in danger.
If there are several non-gunshot injuries, the jaw should be addressed first. The exception is open fractures of other bones if the head injury is closed.
If there is bleeding, apply a clean, preferably sterile, cloth to the wound. If the damage is minor, cotton wool will do.
If the patient is unconscious, carefully turn him on his side. Clear your mouth of blood clots and vomit. This must be done extremely carefully, wrapping your finger in a clean cloth.
Then you should put the patient in a comfortable position and try not to move him anymore. If the patient is conscious, a sling-shaped bandage is applied to the broken jaw, as in the photo on the right.
Ice is applied to reduce pain. If possible, it is worth giving the victim painkillers. In this case, an intramuscular injection will be most effective. Analgin, Naproxen, Revalgin are suitable tablets.

Since the patient is unable to swallow, the painkiller tablet must be crushed and dissolved in water. If the person is unconscious, you can pump the liquid into a syringe without a needle and gently pour the medicine directly down the throat.

Diagnostics

The fracture is diagnosed by an oral and maxillofacial surgeon. An x-ray may show different degrees of damage:

partial damage - damage to part of the bone, not complete detachment;
non-displaced fracture – damage to all parts of the bone;
complete fracture - the x-ray shows a gap between the separated part and the skull;
fracture in different places - damage to the alveolar process in different places, bone fragmentation;
fracture with deformation - a completely torn off part, displaced at a different angle.

Treatment of a jaw fracture

Splinting

Once the patient is admitted to the hospital, he is sent for an x-ray to find out if the jaw is broken and to determine the exact location and severity of the injury. The stages of treatment depend on the classification of the fracture. In most cases, splinting will be done, but additional therapies may be prescribed.

A special plastic device or wire structure is placed on the jaw on the damaged side. In case of injury on both sides of the bone, a more complex and rigid product is used. After installing the structure, a series of loops are formed in the smile area. The hooks on the upper and lower jaws are connected by elastic bands.

The main task of splinting is to maintain the immobility of bone tissue for exactly as long as the jaw fracture heals. Treatment usually lasts from 3 weeks to six months.

For displaced angular injuries, a bone suture is required.

To do this, the crack is exposed from soft tissue, and small holes are made in the bone fragments along the entire length of the fracture. Then the parts are connected to each other with a special wire and covered with soft cloth.

After the main operation, rehabilitation begins. For faster tissue regeneration, magnetic therapy, ultraviolet irradiation, calcium electrophoresis at the fracture site, or other therapeutic procedures are used.

Treatment of a jaw fracture at home

After 3–4 weeks, if the fracture is uncomplicated and the person is no longer in danger, he can be discharged from the hospital.

Usually by this time the bone has not completely healed, so the specialist gives a number of recommendations for continuing treatment at home:

For an open fracture of the jaw, antibiotics are prescribed; after discharge from the hospital, you need to continue taking them at home.
To speed up healing, multivitamin complexes rich in calcium and substances that improve its absorption are prescribed.
You can treat a crack in the jaw with folk remedies, but before using them you need to consult a doctor. Most of all, experts approve of paraffin therapy.
After removing the splint, you will have to wear a special fixing bandage for several months - first it is worn all day, and then only at night.
If the splint has already been removed, the jaw needs to be developed. Every day for a few minutes a person should do simple exercises: move his jaw from side to side, open and close his mouth wide.

All of the recommendations listed can only be used as a supplement to the main treatment that takes place in the hospital. It is impossible to cure a fracture without medical help.

Nutrition for a jaw fracture

Due to the injury, the process of eating becomes more difficult, because it hurts the patient to even open his mouth, not to mention chewing. And yet a person must receive a sufficient amount of nutrients. This determines how long it will take for a crack in the jaw to heal. If there is a deficiency of nutrients, the treatment period increases and more complications appear, so the patient is fed according to certain rules:

A rubber tube is inserted directly into the patient's throat, through which a nutrient solution or liquid food will be administered. Usually the tube is placed through an area where one or more teeth are missing, which happens quite often when the skull bones are damaged. If there is no gap, then the tube is placed in the mouth through the gap after the wisdom tooth. Such nutrition is convenient because it is possible even at home.
If a patient with a jaw fracture is in intensive care, doctors make droppers with a special solution rich in nutrients, vitamins and minerals. If this is not possible, a nutritional enema is used.
The basis of the diet is ground meat mixed with milk or broth, baby food, pureed soups, fruit and vegetable dishes, and liquid porridges.
The patient will need more calories than he normally needs. In addition, the vitamin and mineral value of the diet increases.

Attracting an attacker

When contacting a police station or calling a patrol to a crime scene, documentation for punishing the criminal is prepared by the local police officer of the district department where the crime was committed.

Such situations require the victim, in addition to contacting the police, to do the following:

Approach the police station to write a statement, testify against the offender and receive a referral for examination.
Undergo an examination and obtain an expert’s opinion on the presence of injuries and the severity of them.
Provide all possible assistance in the investigation of the crime.

If the victim is admitted to a hospital, then the request to the police is submitted to the medical staff of the medical institution.

Police respond to a request to investigate a personal injury. For the most part, the victim of a crime is not capable of giving oral testimony.

Whenever possible, investigators limit themselves to written information. Being in serious condition, the victim does not become defenseless. In this case, the initiative to investigate is taken by employees of the investigation department, as well as relatives and others interested in restoring the violated rights of the patient, friends and random witnesses to the incident.

Based on the formed case, criminal proceedings are initiated in court. The case materials are transferred to the district court at the offender’s place of residence. The victim is invited to testify in court. If he continues to stay in hospital or his speech functions have not been restored, a corresponding medical certificate is presented to the court.

The court accepts for consideration only cases that establish the identity and place of residence of the offender.

If the injuries received do not require a hospital stay, the victim has the right to go to court on his own, bypassing the police investigation.

To do this he needs:

Contact a private specialist for an examination and get an opinion.
Independently collect evidence of the offense and information about witnesses willing to testify in court.
Submit to the district court at the defendant’s place of residence a statement regarding the fact of the commission of the act, attaching the collected evidence and a list of witnesses to the beating incident.
Speak in the debate. Or - submit a medical certificate about impaired speech functions and written testimony certified by signature.

Based on the information provided, the court decides to impose a proportionate punishment or finds the suspect innocent.

You can challenge the decision of the district court in a higher court, including the cassation court.

Consequences of a jaw fracture

Such a complex injury cannot go away without a trace; even with proper treatment, certain complications are present:

Deformation of facial features. Asymmetry arises, sometimes very noticeable (see photo). Typically, this consequence occurs when the jaw is fractured with displacement. With less dangerous pathologies, such a change is almost imperceptible.
Loss of teeth and their curvature. In many cases, gaps form between the teeth and the bite is disrupted.
The remaining teeth may become loose when chewing, most often this phenomenon occurs after an angular fracture.
The vast majority of patients experience jaw crunching after treatment for a fracture. Moreover, this can last until the end of life.
Due to liquid nutrition, problems with the gastrointestinal tract arise.

You need to understand that a head injury is always dangerous. Only correct and timely medical care will reduce the number of consequences to a minimum.

How to remove beatings?

To impose punishment on the attacker, the beating must be removed. This procedure can be carried out in different ways.

In the first case, the step-by-step algorithm is as follows:

Immediately upon injury or the next day, contact the police station.
Receive a referral from the police station for examination at the Bureau of Forensic Medicine.
Approach with your passport and a referral to the Bureau for examination.

The second option is suitable for those citizens who do not plan to contact the police, but intend to seek justice on their own.

What is required here is:

Apply with your passport to a paid medical clinic to a specialist of the appropriate profile.
Go through an examination and receive a conclusion certified by the signature and seal of the institution.

The legal capacity of an expert opinion issued in a municipal and private institution is equivalent.

What needs to be done during the rehabilitation period?

After the operation, it is allowed to eat exclusively liquid food and broths: it is recommended to eat food through a straw. Later, when the splint is removed (after about 21 days), you are allowed to eat food that has been blended and has a pureed consistency, as well as ground meat. A gentle diet must be followed for at least another month from the moment the tires are removed,
you cannot open your mouth and strain your jaw: you will have to say “no” to meeting friends, communicating with colleagues, talking and laughing,
it is necessary to follow the recommendations of doctors and take prescribed medications and drugs,
It is important to undergo a course of physiotherapy procedures that promote accelerated tissue restoration: they can be carried out no earlier than 3–5 days after surgery. This could be magnetic therapy, electrophoresis,
physical therapy: it is done after removing the fixing splints,
undergoing routine examinations: they are carried out at least once a week until complete recovery.

Do not open your mouth or load your jaw

How long will it take for the injury to heal?

When asked how long it takes for a jaw fracture to heal, doctors answer that on average rehabilitation lasts up to 3 months. The trauma is significant, and only after the first month of treatment do patients begin to feel relief. Much of the relief is due to the fact that 21 days after the operation the fragments heal and doctors remove the splint, but sometimes this happens later, only on days 30–40.

On average, rehabilitation lasts up to 3 months

If you do not follow the doctor’s recommendations, in case of chronic diseases that disrupt tissue trophism (for example, diabetes), the healing process may take 2–4 weeks longer.

“I suffered a broken jaw in an accident. How many tears I shed while being treated!!! This whole thing heals quite slowly, you have to wear a splint, and it’s generally difficult to eat normally. If you want to lose weight and get rid of extra pounds, break your jaw. Black humor! This splint also constantly rubbed the mucous membrane on the cheeks and lips. All this time there was pain. After the splint was removed, there were sores and inflammation in my mouth. Then she replaced the teeth, since some were knocked out during the accident. In total, it took six months to recover. Now, thank God, the pain is gone, but it pulls and aches for any reason, for example, if the weather changes...”

Mi, fragment of review from otzovik.com